It's Time to Go Home
by DazedConfusedAndHappyAboutIt
Summary: It's been half a century and Shinra lives in Ireland...without Celty Please comment!


It's Time to Go Home

Clopping of hooves against dirt rang through a wide field. Horse galloped through the country; an old man atop it, giving direction. Shinra raced off to a call, but he no longer lived the life of a metropolitan busy-body. He now lived a peaceful, quiet life, thousands of miles away from his home decades ago. Since he had moved to Ireland, his life, both figuratively a literally, slowed; he was old with age, wisdom, cellular structure. But he raced old as he was, to help the people he could. He closed his eyes for a second.

A familiar neigh snapped his fragile head in the sound's direction. The horse stopped on the path as Shinra looked about. Surely she was there.

But alas, another traveler trotted passed, greeting the dismayed man. Shinra closed his eyes again. He held the spot on his shirt above a small locket, fighting off tears. Shinra tried so hard, attempting to push the thoughts out; attempting to clear his mind of…_her._ He could not risk falling from his horse, especially at his age.

With tears gone, he continued his journey, but began to daydream. He thought of that day, so many years ago.

Evening had darkened the apartment with oranges and reds of a smoggy city. A warm breeze blew through a slightly cracked window out to the high-up landing that looked about the growing neon reflections of so many signs. It was quiet in the small space Shinra called home. His love was on her way back to him, surely ready for his loving embrace and whimsical behavior. He smiled at the fact that they both loved each other and that when they were together, it seemed like whatever bit of the outside world remained, it was washed clean upon seeing each other.

A familiar neigh echoed through the building, raising Shinra's excitement. In four seconds, she would shut her horse in the small garage beside their front door. In seven seconds, her one key would jingle as she took it out. In nine seconds, the front door would open. In fourteen seconds, Shinra's love would be met with affection and whimsy. He had almost memorized their routine upon her return, and there wasn't a doubt that she hadn't begun to as well.

Three…

Two…

One…

Everything goes according to plan.

They quickly found themselves wrestling around the apartment. Her multiple attempts to land a solid punch to his stomach were futile, at best, whereas Shinra clung to her from behind, cheek rubbing against the small of her back. Though she would never admit it, she enjoyed these moments with him.

[So we have the rest of the evening to ourselves. What do you want to do, Shinra?] It was only after showing him the screen of her PDA that she realized the hole in her logic. She immediately withdrew her device and quickly tapped out another sentence.

[Don't even think about saying it.] Shinra laughed to himself, covering his mouth in an effort to conceal his reaction.

"Why do you always think I think that way? You know it's just out of fun that I joke like that, right? I wouldn't dream of forcing you into something like that." Celty hesitated.

[I know… But really, what do you want to do? It's early and we both have the rest of the evening off.] Shinra scooted closer to where his companion now sat on the living room couch. He put a finger to his lips, comically exaggerating his thinking. He finally raised his index finger towards the ceiling, and proceeded to stare where Celty's face would've been. It wasn't long before she became confused.

[What're you doing?]

"I'm lookin' at you."

[I can see that], Celty said with an air of irritation in her screen.

"You asked what I wanted to do. I want to just be here, with you." Celty couldn't help but feel a large, heart-shaped plume gasp out from her neck. "Unless, you would like to go to bed early and just sleep together. Not like _sleep together _sleep together. Just sleep in the same bed. Don't you like when we do that?"

True, she did. She was having a hard time deciding whether or not she wanted to horse around more, or if she just wanted to sleep with Shinra's arm wrapped around her waist. She knew that Shinra saw when she smiled at him. Celty would continue on, never fully understanding how he could see her expressions so clearly.

Both climbed into bed, fully ready for their travel to unconsciousness. Shinra sat in briefs, where Celty bore a button down shirt and loose-fitting pajama pants. Even after the times that he'd seen her in her evening attire, she couldn't fight the involuntary spasm that waft a large cloud from her neck when she caught him watching her. He watched her in such a content way, without whimsy emulating from his body. That is what made her blush: his purely passionate stare into the center of her vision. Not lust, nor whimsy nor any part of his usual behavior showed through this curtain of bliss that now draped over both of them.

It felt like centuries since he'd looked deeply into someone's eyes like that, even if they didn't _physically_ have eyes. Though each day, he wrote a note on the table, hoping that she'd read it. Each night, he lay awake hoping that the click of the door would resume his so missed memories. He hadn't spoken of her since he moved to the calm on the Irish countryside. The people that did know her were either back in Japan, or dead.

Shinra's horse sped through the humid air, galloping towards his destination. _This must be what she felt_, he would think as wind blew his hair back and lifted his coat from rest against his back.

A bright flash.

The horse panicked as the roar of thunder rolled across the grasses and shook the ground. A storm would soon be there; Shinra was running out of time. He wasn't far from his destination, but the clouds moved and roared with ferocity and terror. After only a couple of minutes, the horse continued. Another bright flash streaked across the sky, followed shortly by a crippling and apocalyptic roar.

He was there again; his old home. She sat on the floor with her head facing her. Markings and symbols were drawn in some congealed fluid, circling around her seat. The storm had picked up, almost out of nowhere. Lightning struck the city's skyline and thunder rattled not only the buildings, but the people inside. She continued to draw these markings over and over on the floor. The smell of blood faintly rose from her perch as she continued to frantically draw. She only stopped when she noticed Shinra standing behind her, concerned, worried…scared.

"What's going on, Celty" Shinra asked. Celty quickly stood up. Her shoulders were trembling as she wrapped her arms around his body. "Hey… I'm here now. You don't need to worry anymore."

Celty reached her hand out to touch his face. But it never met. There was a bright flash, and even louder and heart-wrenching than the thunder, was a woman's scream. It outlasted the thunder and when Shinra opened his eyes, there was a dark smudge in the center of the circle that Celty had stood in. She was gone.

Shinra had made it to his destination by the time the heavens began to weep. His usual attire had quickly stuck to his flesh and his hair sunk under the weight of the rain. The house he stood before was cozy and felt as old as the land. Without the modern lights, the television set, the ceiling fans, it would have appeared to be very aged. But that was one of the things that he liked about this part of the country; everything seemed sealed in glass from centuries past.

The door opened abruptly and Shinra eyes met a young, lanky man with steel-gray eyes.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice. There aren't any other doctors that come out this far from town."

"It's quite all right," Shinra said. Even with his graying hair and aged body, his smile hadn't changed in the feeling it radiated. As he smiled to the young man, he couldn't help but notice the unease he'd exhibited.

In thirty seconds, Shawn explained the situation.

In a minute thirty, Shinra will tell the woman what is going to happen and what she needs to do.

In three minutes, the anesthetic will be administered.

In ten minutes, Shinra will begin the process.

In one hour, twenty minutes, Shawn became a father.

Shawn looked at this new life and was at a loss for words. He'd never been so close to a newborn before, let alone see its beauty. Shinra would on occasion, ask to hold it for a few seconds, before returning the crying baby to her mother.

"Well, she has a clean bill of health. Nothing abnormal, nothing dangerous. She's all set." As Shinra wiped the sweat from his brow, Shawn came closer to his daughter, mesmerized and awe-struck.

He looked at Shinra, face beaming. All that he could manage was a smile and a greatly appreciative nod. Shinra smiled back and nodded.

"With all of this commotion, we never gave any thought to a name" Shawn's wife said softly. As he and his wife began talking amongst the two of them, Shinra smiled and closed his eyes.

He opened them to the smudge on his floor where Celty had just seconds ago stood. At first, he was in disbelief. He truly thought that Celty would return the following night.

…or maybe the next night.

…or the night after that.

…or the night after that.

Shinra had left the apartment as it was for weeks. There weren't any more reports about the urban legend on television, nor fulfilled jobs for underworld entities. It continued on like this for months. And all the while, Shinra stayed hopeful that his companion would return that night…or the next.

And then he found it.

It was a spring afternoon and Shinra was cleaning. Celty's room had stayed untouched for close to five months. He thought to himself, _I wouldn't be a very good friend if I let Celty come home to a dusty room and old sheets_. When he entered, he saw a small piece of paper, folded neatly on the bed. Shinra stopped, curious and perplexed by the paper. On the side facing him, 'to Shinra' was very neatly written with a black pen. He sat on the bed, and for a while, debated whether to read it or not.

The paper emitted its unique sound as it slid and finally flipped over in Shinra's hand.

_ Shinra_

_ By the time you read this, I don't know if I'll be gone. It's kind of hard to write because I hope that you never have to know the fear that I feel now. _

_I decided to try to reunite my body and head, but it most likely didn't work. I just want to live with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to die with you. And the only way I could stand a chance to do that was….this. I'm not sure if I could stay, knowing that one day, you would die, but I would continue to exist, aching and hurting without you to be there by my side, or me to be at yours. If this is good bye, then I want to say some things. _

_Out of all of my years, whether they be few or many, I would give anything to keep reliving my time with you. You've made me happy, but you've annoyed the crap out of me. But I know that it was all to have fun, which is why I never minded, but let's face it: I'd never let you know that. _

_You've always kept me hopeful and happy, and I never really said thank you for all of the times you made me feel what you've always thought was a smile. I never really understood your attraction to me, but I can accept it. _

_If I could change one thing, it'd be that I was so hesitant and timid with you. So here it is:_

_I love you. I haven't been sure for a while if what I felt towards you was love, but now, I'm certain it can be nothing else. I hope that tomorrow I can see your face and you can see mine. _

_With Love, Celty._

Shinra gripped the locket round his neck as he fought off tears. The two partners in front of him her still debating over a name, and Shinra whispered, almost inaudibly, "I love you too, Celty."

"Celty," he said, loud enough for the two to hear. "Your baby is your life, your happiness. Celty's mine."

They seemed to be in agreement. Little Celty looked at her parents with her blue and green eyes, and Shinra turned towards the door. When the Shawn had asked what he owed, Shinra opened the door and simply said, "all I want from you is to give her a great life. You only get this life, and she deserves the best." With that, Shinra quietly shut the door and began his journey home.

The rain continued to pour as he journeyed home. There was no real rush to be found, so Shinra rode with a moderate pace. He stared at the sky, rain pouring down his face. He couldn't tell what was rain and what was tears.

Pain.

Shinra gripped his side, pain searing through his entire body. Lightning struck and thunder roared. The horse began to panic and, in the process, threw Shinra from its back. As Shinra lay on the ground, debilitating pain coursing through every fiber of his being, the rain poured over his face, and he began to weep.

Footsteps seemed to echo through his mind. He twisted and turned, only hurting himself in the process. He clenched his eyes shut from the pain and writhed about.

Next to him, there was a horse. A dark figure slowly dismounted from it. Cloaked in a long, flowing dress, Shinra tossed and turned. The figure looked puzzled, but with the hood of its cloak up, he could not see the person's face. It scrutinized Shinra, who said: "Don't bother with an old soul like me." The figure knelt beside him, and extended its hand. As Shinra wept, lying on the ground, the figure stroked his cheek ever so gingerly.

"It's time to go home, Shinra. For both of us." He began to weep harder, but a smile began to spread across his face. He raised his hand to the figure's hand and held it. He closed his eyes and gripped the hand in his, lovingly.

"I love you, Celty."


End file.
